A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections. A social network service consists of a representation of each user, i.e., a profile, the user's social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks.
Social media depends mainly on user driven content, which is a defining characteristic of the Social Web. As a result, large amounts of data flow through these social network channels daily. However, relevant content received by a user may be buried in low-quality information. For example, users may receive a large amount of content that the user is not interested in receiving. As such, users may quickly find themselves inundated with irrelevant voluminous content that they cannot control. This is especially problematic for users of mobile networks who are trying to limit the cost of their data usage via their smart phones.